Expert International Home Relocations

The best way to ship your belongings is rarely a choice between just one method; it is a personalized strategy that balances your budget, your housing timeline, and your immediate comfort. Because every relocation is a unique personal transition, the most effective moves often involve a multi-layered approach.

1. Core Decision Factors

The right choice depends on three main variables:

• Volume: Are you moving a single room or a 5-bedroom family estate?
• Timeline: Do you need your items in days, or can you wait 8–10 weeks for a container?
• Budget: Are you prioritizing the lowest cost or the highest speed and convenience?

2. The 'Hybrid Move' Strategy

Most successful expats use a Hybrid Move to bridge the gap between arriving and settling in:

• Air Freight for Essentials: Ship a small priority consignment (50–100kg) containing clothing, work equipment, and children’s essentials. This arrives in 5–12 days so you can live comfortably immediately.
• Sea Freight for the Rest: Your furniture and bulkier items follow via sea (LCL or FCL), arriving once you have secured your permanent long-term residence.

3. Staged Shipments (Breaking the job into pieces)

You don't have to send everything at once. Moving into a new country is a process, and your shipping should reflect that. At Swift Cargo, we often suggest breaking the shipment into pieces:

• Trial Periods: If you are unsure about your long-term housing, you can ship your absolute essentials first and keep the rest in our secure storage until you’re ready.
• Regular Container Cycles: Because we run regular, scheduled containers to major global hubs, you can stagger your move. This avoids expensive local storage fees and allows you to right-size your life as you settle in.

4. A Personal Problem to Solve

International moving is a deeply personal logistics puzzle. What works for a student is different from what works for a relocating family.

Yes. Containerized shipping is widely considered the gold standard for safety in international relocation. Your belongings are secured inside heavy-duty, weather-sealed steel containers engineered to withstand the rigors of ocean transit, protecting them from environmental exposure and handling risks throughout the journey.

1. Layers of Security

At Swift Cargo, safety is treated as a multi-layered system rather than a single step:

• Export-Grade Wrapping: We use specialized packing materials such as corrugated cardboard, bubble-guard protection, and moisture-absorbent silica designed specifically for long-duration sea voyages.
• Professional Blocking and Bracing: The greatest risk in shipping is not the ocean itself, but movement inside the container. Our teams use industrial-grade strapping and timber bracing to ensure items remain completely immobile during transit.
• Unique Security Seals: Once loaded, each container is secured with a high-security Bolt Seal carrying a unique identification number, ensuring the container remains unopened until it reaches customs inspection or your final destination.

2. FCL vs. LCL: The Safety Perspective

The level of handling and isolation varies depending on the shipment type:

• Full Container Load (FCL): Your household goods are the only items inside the container. This option is ideal for full relocations, as it minimizes handling. Packed once at origin and unpacked once at destination.
• Less than Container Load (LCL): Your shipment shares a container with other cargo. To maintain safety, we use reinforced Lift Vans (custom-built wooden crates) inside the container, providing structural protection and physical separation from other goods.

3. What Cannot Be Shipped (Prohibited Items)

To protect the vessel, crew, and all cargo—and to comply with international regulations—certain items are strictly prohibited in shipping containers:

• Hazardous Materials: Aerosol cans, fire extinguishers, paints, fuels, and loose lithium batteries.
• Perishables: Food items that may spoil, attract pests, or generate odors during the 4–8 week sea transit.
• Combustible Items: Matches, lighters, and cleaning solvents.

When packed professionally and shipped correctly, containerized sea freight offers one of the safest and most reliable methods for transporting household goods internationally.

While the standard booking window is 8–12 weeks before departure, the most successful international moves begin with a conversation much earlier. At Swift Cargo, we regularly manage timelines ranging from six months of meticulous planning to emergency relocations executed with as little as seven days’ notice.

The more time you give us, the more flexibility we have to design a solution that fits your specific budget, destination, and logistical constraints.

1. The Strategic Advantage (3–6 Months Out)

Many of our clients begin planning their move 90 days to six months in advance. Early engagement allows us to:

• Consult on Strategy: We help you decide what to sell, what to store, and what to ship before you’ve even started packing.
• Optimize Budget: Longer lead times allow us to secure better freight rates and reserve space on the most efficient shipping routes.
• Coordinate Storage: If your long-term housing is not yet confirmed, early planning enables seamless storage-in-transit (SIT) solutions without disruption.

2. The Standard Window (8–12 Weeks)

This is the sweet spot for most international relocations. It provides sufficient time for:

• Customs Preparation: Collecting the necessary visas, residency permits, and destination-specific inventory documentation.
• Container Scheduling: During peak seasons (typically summer and year-end), containers on popular routes can book out up to six weeks in advance. Booking within this window helps avoid vessel capacity delays.

3. Last-Minute & Emergency Moves (1–4 Weeks)

Life can move fast, and not all relocations come with advance notice. Our shortest turnaround to date has been just one week from first contact to move date.

• Urgent Solutions: For compressed timelines, we often pivot to Priority Air Freight or dedicated trucking routes to meet strict deadlines.
• Agility: Our team mobilizes rapid-response packing and documentation support to ensure you cross borders on time, even under pressure.

4. The Bottom Line

More time equals more flexibility. Early planning helps avoid seasonal congestion, port delays, and unnecessary costs. That said, no matter your timeline, Swift Cargo is here to support you, whether you’re planning for next year or next Tuesday.

Yes. Swift Cargo manages all customs documentation, clearances, and required government filings on your behalf.

This includes:

• Inventory lists
• Proof of residence or employment
• Duty-free eligibility documents
• Restricted items guidance
• Arrival customs processing

We ensure your shipment meets the destination country’s requirements—reducing delays, penalties, or complications.

Yes. We offer full professional packing, export wrapping, and itemised inventory creation for all international relocations.

This service includes:

• Specialist packing for fragile or high-value items
• Furniture disassembly and reassembly
• Export-grade materials
• Labelling and digital inventory records

Proper packing significantly reduces the risk of damage during long-distance moves.

Yes, insurance is strongly recommended for any international relocation. While ocean and air carriers have limited liability by law, it is highly recommended to secure Marine Transit Insurance for any international relocation. Your belongings will travel thousands of miles and undergo multiple handlings; insurance provides the ultimate peace of mind.

• All-Risk Coverage: This is the gold standard for expats. It covers your items from door-to-door against damage, loss, or theft during packing, transit, and delivery.
• Total Loss vs. Itemized: You can choose to insure the entire shipment or specific high-value items. At Swift Cargo, we help you create a Valued Inventory to ensure your most cherished possessions are accurately covered.

In most cases, expats can import used household goods duty-free, provided they meet specific "Transfer of Residence" (ToR) criteria. However, every country has unique regulations that must be navigated carefully to avoid unexpected costs.

• The 6/12 Month Rule: Most destinations (like the UK, EU, and Australia) require you to have owned and used your items for at least 6 to 12 months prior to shipping to qualify for tax exemptions.
• Residency Requirements: To claim duty-free status, you typically need to provide proof of your right to reside in the destination country (such as a work visa or residency permit).
• The New Item Exception: Be aware that brand-new items, especially those in original packaging, may still be subject to VAT or import duties, even if they are part of a larger household move.

How we help: Swift Cargo’s customs specialists review your inventory list before it leaves the port. We identify potential "red flag" items that might trigger duties and help you prepare the specific documentation required to claim your exemptions.

Yes. Our door-to-door service covers everything from packing your home to delivering items into your new residence abroad.

This includes:

• Packing and inventory
• Freight booking
• Customs clearance
• Delivery and unpacking

Expats choose us because they want a single, accountable partner for every step of their international relocation.

We support moves to 120+ countries, including popular expat destinations such as:

• UK, Germany, France, Netherlands
• Singapore, Thailand, Japan, South Korea
• Australia, New Zealand
• UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

If your route is uncommon, we source the most reliable carrier and customs partner for your destination.

Most expats book 4–8 weeks before departure, especially for sea freight that needs container scheduling and customs prep.

Booking early helps with:

• Better pricing
• Guaranteed container space
• Smoother export procedures

Urgent relocations can be handled faster via priority air freight.

Yes. Your Move Manager helps compare freight costs to replacement value—common for expats.

We assess:

• Furniture size and weight
• Local prices in your destination country
• Customs duties
• Emotional or irreplaceable items

This keeps your move both economical and practical.

You can request a quote online or through WhatsApp. A Move Manager will guide you through a quick inventory review and route options.

Most expats receive:

• A tailored door-to-door quote
• Recommended shipment method
• Estimated timelines
• A documentation checklist

We prioritise speed, transparency, and personal support.